No Traps and Prejudice on the Train of Belt and Road
“一带一路”的列车上没有陷阱与偏见
Daily Nation Newspaper Published an Article by Chinese Ambassador to Kenya H.E. Ms. Sun Baohong
驻肯尼亚大使孙保红在肯第一大报《民族日报》发表署名文章
2 August 2018
2018年8月2日
More than 2000 years ago, Julius Caesar of ancient Rome liked to wear the robes made of Chinese silk. The silk products were transported from China through an ancient trade route that linked Asia and Europe. It was later known as the Silk Road.
2000年前，古罗马恺撒大帝喜欢穿中国丝绸制成的长袍。华丽的中国丝绸来自于一条横贯亚欧的古代商路，后人称之为“丝绸之路”。
More than 600 years ago, a fleet led by the Chinese navigator Zheng He arrived at Mombasa and Malindi, bringing porcelain, silk and tea to Africa. The king of Malindi sent his envoy along with the fleet to pay a return visit and took one giraffe as gift to China. The envoys from China and Kenya, together with the merchants from other countries in Asia, Africa and Europe have opened the “Maritime Silk Road”. Kenya has been an important bond linking China and Africa since ancient times.
600年前，中国的郑和船队抵达肯尼亚的蒙巴萨和马林迪，给非洲带来瓷器、丝绸和茶叶。马林迪国王派使节随船队回访中国，带去长颈鹿。中肯使者及其他亚非欧国家的商人共同开辟了“海上丝路”，肯尼亚自古即成为连接非洲与中国的重要纽带。
Five years ago, when visiting some Asian countries including Indonesia and Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road (the Belt and Road). This is not only the inheritance and innovation of the spirit of the ancient Silk Road, but also the desire for mutually beneficial cooperation, prosperity and development shared by all countries.
5年前，中国国家主席习近平出访印尼、哈萨克斯坦等国期间，分别提出了建设“丝绸之路经济带”（“一带”）和“21世纪海上丝绸之路”（“一路”）的倡议。这是对古代丝绸之路精神的传承和创新，更是各国加强互利合作、推动世界经济繁荣发展的共同愿望。
The Belt and Road Initiative acts in the spirit of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. And it boosts policy consultation, trade promotion, infrastructure connectivity, financial cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. It emphasizes on integrating the development strategies and complementary advantages of the countries along the Belt and Road, thus creating multiplier effect.
“一带一路”坚持“三共”和“五通”。即坚持共商、共建、共享，实现政策沟通、设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通、民心相通。“一带一路”倡议强调战略对接，优势互补。各方通过政策对接，实现“一加一大于二”的效果。
The past five years have witnessed that the Belt and Road Initiative transformed itself from a vision to practical actions with fruitful cooperative results. By now, China has signed 103 agreements with 88 countries and international organizations. China worked with 43 countries and set up 75 overseas economic and trade cooperation zones, paying 2.2 billion USD taxes to the host countries and creating 200 thousand jobs locally. The trade and investment between China and the countries along the Belt and Road have been growing rapidly with the total trading volume surpassing 4 trillion USD, and the investment volume totaling more than 60 billion USD.
5年来，“一带一路”从愿景变为行动，合作成果丰硕。中国已与88个国家和国际组织签署了103份合作文件，与43个沿线国家建立了75个境外经贸合作区，上缴东道国税费22亿美元，为当地创造了20多万个就业岗位。中国与沿线国家贸易投资快速增长，贸易总额超过4万亿美元，投资累计超过600亿美元。
All these facts have proved that the Belt and Road Initiative originates from China but belongs to the world. The Belt and Road Initiative is a reflection of many countries’ common aspiration for achieving prosperity and development. It also meets the need of the countries to tackle their own challenges. That is why it has exerted huge impact on the world and attracted extensive attention.
事实证明，“一带一路”源自中国，属于世界。正因为凝聚了许多国家实现繁荣发展的共同愿望，契合了各国共同应对挑战的需求，“一带一路”才能在短短5年内产生巨大世界影响，引起广泛关注。
However, some people are too critical to be objective. They label it as “not abiding by the rules” when it does not accord with their double standard. They deem it as “discrimination and prejudice” even if there is just some misunderstanding. And they claim that there is a “debt trap” when they just see the word “loan”. They are full of anxiety even while the relevant countries do not worry too much about themselves.
然而一些关注的“目光”很挑剔。不符合他们的双重标准就说不遵守规则，看到误解就说歧视和偏见，看到“贷款”就断定是“债务陷阱”。尽管当事国并不发愁是否落入了所谓“陷阱”，他们却忧心忡忡。
Not a few countries in Asia and Africa are indeed worrying due to the situations of poverty, unemployment, ethnic conflicts and refugee crisis. What do they need most? I believe they need development more than anything else. May I ask those who are full of anxiety and doubts: What could you bring to these countries and how could you help them out? The answer seems like as what an Asian economist puts it: “NATO” (No Action, Talk Only)!
在亚洲，在非洲，有许多国家确实令人担忧。生活贫穷，就业困难，种族冲突，难民危机，请问他们最需要什么？发展！当然是发展！请问这些“忧心”的“目光”，你能为他们带来什么？亚洲的一个经济学家说得好，“NATO”(No Action, Talk Only)!
No country has been crippled with debt crisis due to its cooperation with China. Instead, the container throughput of Greek’s Piraeus port has increased by 6 times, jumping from 93rd to 36th globally. And the cotton processing capacity in Tajikistan has increased from 10% of its cotton output to 40%, among which 90% has been sold abroad. It has become the biggest source of Tajikistan’s foreign exchanges earnings. There are too many examples to mention.
没有哪个国家因为和中国合作而陷入债务危机。相反，因为和中国合作，希腊比雷埃夫斯港集装箱吞吐量增长了6倍，全球排名从第93位跃升至第36位。因为和中国合作，塔吉克斯坦棉花加工能力从棉花产量的10%提升到40%，90%以上销往海外，成为塔吉克斯坦出口创汇第一大户。这样的例子不胜枚举。
The joint efforts made by China and countries involved to push forward the Belt and Road Initiative are based on market rules and international norms. Every project is the result of equal consultation. China, along with other 26 countries has jointly formulated the Guiding Principles on Financing the Development of the Belt and Road. The Guiding Principles advocate a transparent, friendly, non-discriminatory and predictable financing environment and ensure sustainable economic and social development. Debt sustainability is also taken into account when mobilizing finance. Based on these principles, China has helped many developing countries break their capital bottleneck by financing and investment cooperation. Our partner-countries and their people are best qualified to evaluate the cooperative effects.
中国在与有关国家共建“一带一路”进程中，始终按照市场规律和通行的国际规则行事，每一个项目都是有关各方平等协商的结果。包括中方在内的27个国家共同制定了《“一带一路”融资指导原则》，明确要建设透明、友好、非歧视和可预见的融资环境，强调推动经济社会可持续发展，在动员资金时兼顾债务可持续性。中方在上述原则基础上开展“一带一路”投融资合作，帮助许多发展中国家打破了资金瓶颈。与中国合作究竟效果如何，伙伴国政府和人民最有发言权。
Let’s return to Kenya. Under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the governments of China and Kenya, and more than 40 thousand workers from both countries, have worked together to complete the project of 472km SGR within two and half years, shortening the Nairobi-Mombasa trip from more than 10 hours to 5 hours. The building of the SGR has driven the Kenya’s economic growth by 1.5% and created 46 thousand jobs for local residents. Since it was launched on May 31st last year, the Madaraka Express passenger volume has reached 1.58 million and its freight trains have hauled 112 thousand TEUs, which has lowered down the freight cost by 79% and business cost by 40%.
视线回到肯尼亚。在“一带一路”倡议框架下，中肯两国政府和4万多名建设者并肩努力，两年半就建成472公里的蒙内铁路。原来十几个小时的路程，现在仅需5个小时。蒙内铁路建设拉动肯尼亚经济增长1.5个百分点，创造了4.6万个就业机会。铁路开通一年来，运送旅客158万人次、标准货物集装箱11.2万个，使东非地区货运成本下降79%，商务成本下降40%。
“Teach a man to fish and you will help him for a lifetime”. The SGR project has been upholding this concept from the very beginning. The eventual goal of this project is to help the Kenyan people to be equipped with management experience and technical skills. Since the construction of the SGR, the Chinese side has trained over 5,000 professionals for Kenya.
“授人以渔”是蒙内铁路项目一直以来的理念。让它成为肯尼亚人民自己掌握管理和技术的铁路——是蒙内铁路项目的最终目标。蒙内铁路建设以来，中方已为肯尼亚培训了5000多名专业技术工人。
The 27-year-old Felix Asuma, once studying at Southwest Jiaotong University of China, has become the mid-level manager who supervises 80 staff. He said that he studied civil engineering in China and the SGR is where he could maximize his potentials. The SGR has brought positive changes not only to his life and career, but also to Kenya’s economic development as a whole. Kennedy Chemeitoi is a native Kenyan who began to work for the SGR since 2017. Now he takes care of the power system. He said, “What I learned from books is not the same as the real. I learned a lot from practice. We have to pass test every month. This is to check whether we have managed the knowledge or not.”
27岁的费利克斯·阿素玛曾在西南交通大学留学，现在是手下有80多个人的蒙内铁路中层管理者。他说，他在中国学习了土木工程，在蒙内铁路找到用武之地。这条铁路不仅给他个人的生活和事业带来了积极的变化，同时也将积极地改变肯尼亚的经济面貌。电力综合管理员凯内迪·科梅托伊是土生土长的肯尼亚人。2017年来到蒙内铁路工作。他说，书上学的和实践中不完全一样，来自中国的“师傅”教了他很多，“我们现在每个月都要考试，检查我们学没学到位”。
Promoting overseas studies and training professionals are significant parts of the Educational Action of Belt and Road Initiative. Since 2016, 100 Kenyan students have been sponsored to go to Jiaotong University of China for their bachelor degree study in railway specialities. Moreover, Shijiazhuang Railway Institute has been working closely with some African countries including Kenya to train railway technicians. Many of the graduates have become the envoys of friendship and technological backbones of the Belt and Road in their own countries.
推进留学、培养人才是“一带一路”教育行动的重要内容之一。2016年，两批共60名肯尼亚学生来到北京交通大学，开始了为期四年半的学习。2018年3月，该项目又将招收40名学生。石家庄铁道大学与肯尼亚等非洲国家合作办学，大部分毕业生已经成为“一带一路”上的友好使者和技术骨干。
Both China and African countries suffered from colonial oppression in history with their economic lifeline being controlled by foreign countries. Therefore, China will neither repeat the history of colonialism nor impose views on others. Instead, China will always respect and help Africa. We will value both friendship and justice as well as shared interests, and always place more importance on friendship and justice.
中国同非洲国家一样，都有过被外国掌控经济命脉，被剥削压迫的惨痛经历。因此，中国绝不会搞殖民者那一套，不会强加于人，而是始终尊重非洲、帮助非洲，义利相兼，以义为先。
I hope that the people who want to learn more about the Belt and Road Initiative and those who want to take the Belt and Road “train” could ask for the opinions of Felix Asuma, Kennedy Chemeitoi and their colleagues. They will tell you, “Welcome on board. There are no traps and prejudice on this train.”
希望了解和搭乘“一带一路”列车的“乘客”，可以问问阿素玛们和科梅托伊们。他们会告诉你：欢迎乘坐，这里没有陷阱和偏见！（Welcome on board! No traps or prejudice on the train.)